US News has listed Vietnam as one of the 30 best solo travel destinations alongside its neighbours Singapore and Thailand.

It recommends a solo vacation in Vietnam, which it describes as “a safe destination with friendly locals and outstanding cuisine”.

It says it is best to drop into local restaurants and try signature dishes that have made Vietnamese cuisine famous, like pho or rice noodles soup with beef or chicken, bún chả or grilled pork with rice vermicelli, and nem or fried spring rolls.

The paper also lists HCM City and Hanoi among the country’s top attractions.

Beaver Creek in the US topped the solo travel list, followed by Grand Cayman in the UK and Paris in France.

Earlier this year TripAdvisor readers ranked Vietnam as one of the 10 best places to go in the world.

Last June the ancient town of Hoi An was among the 10 safest and most exciting places on earth for solo travellers listed by travel editors at Momondo, a UK-based travel site.

Last year British lifestyle site Good Housekeeping listed HCM City as one of the 10 friendliest places on earth for solo trips, based on solo bookings data from Airbnb, an accommodation service that allows people to list their homes and hotels for holiday rentals.